Peru- it's just the beginning

"The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us."
Psalm 118:27

"[Your Father in Heaven] causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
Matthew 5:45

"But for you who revere my name, the sun of rigtheousness will rise with healing in its wings."
Malachi 4:2

Our journey to Peru was amazing in so many different ways, I don't really know where to begin. There are a few major lessons God taught me while we were there and some of them are as follows:
1. He showed me that you can definitely love and be loved by people you don't even know.
2. Language barriers are no barriers at all if you know how to SHOW others love. Like the famous saying- "Actions are louder than words". Yeah, very applcable.
3. Our team did not bring Jesus with us there to the people. God is everywhere and he was already working in the lives of the Peruvuans long before we came.
4. If anyone plans to do anything for God, prayer is essential! Without it, we are as helpless babies battling against Satan's forces. Living for God requires communication with and total dependance on God. Nothing less.
5. One does not go on a missions trip to convert people to their religion or their God. We go to share life and love and our journey's experiences. If this proves a tool to minister to others, we jump at the chance- because everyone both needs and deserves to hear the good news about God.

You know, it's funny though, because these are all lessons that I had already learned. I guess God felt he needed to remind me of them, which I'm thankful for. When I went to Mexico in college for the same reason, God showed me these truths there too. The one I am constantly surpirised by is this:
More often than not, they minister to You more than you ever ministered to them!
Isn't that incredible?! You think you are going to a people who have nothing and are poor in so many ways and you are going to make things better, or help them somehow, and that will bring them to learn about God and how to love others and take care of themselves and their families, etc, etc. But (and its a big but)-BUT, it happens quite diffrently in reality. They serve you and love you beyond what you can even understand sometimes simply because you have left all your luxury behind in our big Land of Plenty and have gone to them for reasons they don't understand either. But they are thankful. So thankful! And it makes me want to cry...